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Edging out the University of Notre Dame, this year MIT moved into second place in the all-time national rankings for Academic All-American student-athletes. Now with 252, MIT has had more superstar scholar-athletes than any other university in the country except the University of Nebraska, which has 325; in Division III, where the MIT Engineers do most of their competing, MIT held strong as the all-time leader.

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) annually honors the top student-athletes in the country for their achievements in the classroom and on the playing field as Academic All-Americans. Since the inception of the Academic All-America program more than 60 years ago, MIT has consistently ranked among the leaders nationally.

“We have a broad-based program at MIT — 33 sports — and we draw a depth and variety of students,” says Julie Soriero, head and director of the Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation. “This is the perfect place to play high-level athletics while getting the finest education in the world.”

Those athletes named an Academic All-American have successfully balanced a commitment to academics and their sport. “It’s a credit to both them and to their coaches who understand so well how to support that balance,” Soriero says.

Among MIT’s standouts this year was former swimmer Margaret Guo ’16, who, along with being named an Academic All-American, was also named the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year in October 2016. She was the first MIT student-athlete, and just the fourth Division III student-athlete to ever receive the honor.